Into the Woods
by LorelaiGilmore82
Summary: A case leaves Beckett and Castle hiking through the woods and spending the night at a cabin. Well, there's something about these woods that might bring them closer together. Set early season 4.
1. Chapter 1

Just a little something I came up with, during the weekend. I hope you'll like it. Let me know, suggestions, critics etc. All welcome. Enjoy reading!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"How much longer?" He growled, while trying to keep up with her. They had been walking for hours that felt more like days to him, it was raining, he was freezing and tired. To be clear: He really had enough. He wanted to rest! Somewhere warm. He wanted to have a cold beer and a movie but instead he was hiking through the woods in the middle of nowhere. Damn this case that brought them to Sterling Forest. He was a city boy! He had no business roaming through the woods.

"The cabin must be about half an hour away," she said without even looking back.

"What?" he panted. "Could we just rest for a second?" He made a mental note to himself that he needed to go to the gym more often. Or better; Needed to start going at all. For Beckett this all seemed to be a Sunday afternoon walk, while he felt like running a marathon.

"We need to be at the cabin before it gets dark," she replied, but to his relief stopped and turned around. "It will be nearly impossible to find the way in the dark and once the last daylight is gone, temperatures will drop." She left it hanging there.

"Even more?" he whined in disbelief.

She nodded and turned to continue their path through the brushwood. A small smirk on her lips. She had to admit she enjoyed his whining just a little bit. "You're coming, Castle?"

He sped up to fall into a trot next to her. "How do you know about this cabin, anyway?" he asked.

"It's my father's," she stated without looking at him.

He stopped and watched her, while she continued on this invisible path that she seemed to know by heart. Now he knew why. The rain was steadily pouring down on him, while he tried to process this new information. The rest of the way they spent in silence until Beckett finally stopped and pointed at something between the trees.

"There it is," she walked ahead and pulled a key out of a log that lay beside the door. She turned around and realized that he hadn't followed her. She found him still standing where they had come out of the brushwood. She shot him a questioning look, "Castle?"

He nodded and quickly crossed the small clearing. They stepped into the little cabin and Beckett immediately started to move around, opening cabinets, pulling various things out. He just stood and took it in. So this was where she had been hiding for three months. From the world. From him. He tried to get a feeling for this place, tried to find a connection to understand the Katherine Beckett that had came back from these woods.

"Okay, let's get the fire started," he heard her say and nodded absentminded. "And then we need to get out of these clothes." She looked up, expecting a cocky remark from her partner, but to her surprise he just nodded. She studied him, he looked tired, which wasn't surprising after their forced march through Sterling Forest, but she also saw something else in his eyes. Was it sadness?

What she did next was normally something she suppressed when it came to him, she went by her first instinct and stepped closer, her hand coming to rest on his shoulder and he jumped a little at the unexpected contact. He turned around to find her standing incredibly close, which almost made him jump again.

"Everything okay?" he asked when he saw the worried expression on her face.

"Actually I was going to ask you just that," she said and tilted her head slightly, her eyes never leaving his. Studying and taking him in.

Wet strands were falling into her face, they were both soaked to the skin, tired and weary and still she looked adorable.

He nodded, "I'm fine. Just tired."

She didn't buy it. There was something else going on in those blue eyes of his and then it hit her. It was her and it was this place.

"Listen Castle," she stuttered and her eyes fell on the floor.

"It's okay, Kate. Really." He tried to wave her off, not wanting this to become all awkward.

"No, it's not. I want you to know that I'm sorry," she started.

He held up his hand, "Kate, you don't have to do this." The look in his eyes almost broke her heart.

Her hand reached out and came to rest on his cheek, forcing him to look at her. "Yes, I have to do this. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for pushing you away and locking you out the way I did. It wasn't fair and you deserved better, you _deserve_ better."

"You had a lot going on." He said and realized that her hand was still resting against his cheek, "It's long forgiven."

"Still I should have told you that I needed time. The last thing I wanted was to hurt you. But I did and for that I'm truly sorry."

His own hand reached up and covered hers before he took it and placed a feather light kiss on it, "Thank you!" He smiled at her and was rewarded with one of hers.

"We should really get this fire started," she mumbled and pulled her eyes from his.

He smirked, "I like the sound of that and what was it you said about getting out of our clothes?"

She shot him one of her famous eye rolls and shoved him towards the fireplace. "Make yourself useful." He smiled from ear to ear and when she turned around to see if she could find something to eat for them, she did the same.

An hour later they sat next to each other in front of a sparkling, warm fire, wrapped up in some blankets Beckett had produced from one of the cabinets. Their wet clothes were dangling from clothesline and they were having something out of can, that couldn't be defined.

"This," he held up his can, "Is delicious. You're a good cook!" He grinned and was delighted when he actually saw her chuckle.

"I'm glad you like it," she bumped her shoulder against his and smiled.

"So what's the plan?" He asked when he had finished his dinner.

"Tomorrow we walk to the main road and then there's a gas station about five miles south. We can contact the next PD from there and then we hopefully can go back to civilisation."

"Interesting, but that's not what I meant. I was thinking more about sleeping arrangements." He shot her a weary smile.

"Oh!" she looked up. "Well there's the bedroom and then," she pointed at the bench in the small kitchen, "This." She got up and walked over to the bench, carefully holding her blanket in place. She pulled some cushions and another blanket from under it. "It's not very comfortable. Normally my dad has an extra camp bed here. But he took it with him for the winter."

"It'll be just fine," he said and was suddenly very close. It irritated her, to know that he had nothing on under the blanket but his boxers. Her right hand clutched her blanket just a bit tighter to herself, while her left hand played with a strand of her hair. He looked down at her. Was she actually blushing?

"Good," she mumbled and avoided his eyes. "I'll be just in there, if you need something!" And she even blushed some more when she realized what her words could imply.

He nodded, never taking his eyes off her, when she retreated to the bedroom.

"Good night, Kate!" he said.

She turned around and smiled at him, "Good night, Rick!"

When the door closed behind her, he shook his head and let out a little gasp. There was something about these woods… When he climbed into his sleeping quarters he couldn't help but think that despite all the hiking, rain and mud this day had turned out to be quite wonderful.

He watched the fire dance, watched the shadows on the walls and felt content. He closed his eyes and sighed, slowly drifting off to sleep.

Kate on the other hand was wide awake. A million different thoughts running through her head but all centred around one certain writer that was sleeping just next door. It was getting harder and harder not to give into her feelings, to not dive into it. To just stay away from him. And she wasn't sure anymore that she should. She wanted to be happy. And he had been the one to say that she deserved it. But what if it didn't work out, what if …? There were so many what ifs.

When she finally fell asleep, it didn't last long. She awoke shivering. It was freezing inside her room. There were no more blankets and the warming fire was next door. She debated her options and finally climbed out of bed, pulling the blankets around herself she tiptoed to the door and peeked into the other room and was surprised to find Castle looking directly at her.

"Can't sleep?" she asked.

He shook his head, "Something is poking into my back." He got up and rearranged the pillows. "You?"

"I'm cold." She said and walked closer to the fire place. It had almost burned down, but still offered enough heat to warm her cold feet.

Castle looked at her and ruffled his hair before he walked into the other room.

"What are you doing?" she asked and followed him. She saw him lifting the mattress off her bed and jumped out of his way, when he carried it through the door and placed it down in front of the fire place.

"Voilá!" he presented his work with a big grin on his face. "I surely don't want you to freeze to death."

"That might be a bit overdramatic, but thank you, Castle!" She smiled and as so often found it incredible difficult to take her eyes off him.

"Anytime. Anything," he replied. He had intended to make it sound light instead the air around them became even thicker. She knew she should walk away. She should climb into her _new_ bed and say good night. But she couldn't. She just couldn't turn around. He stepped closer, reaching for her hand and to his surprise she didn't pull away. He looked down at their joined hands and was all of a sudden incredibly nervous. "Well if you need anything else, I'll be right over there," he nodded to his bench.

She just looked at him and then to her own surprise she said, "It's terribly uncomfortable over there."

"It's okay."

"If you promise me to behave, Castle …," and he thought he was dreaming, when she pulled him with her to the mattress.

"Kate?" he asked unsure.

"You can't let me freeze to death and I can't let you hurt your back. It's just sleeping," she said more confident than she felt.

Castle swallowed. He wasn't sure that this was a good idea, but before he could protest she was already pulling him down next to her. He found himself lying next to her, his arms firmly placed over the blanket and he was so close to her that he feared he couldn't control himself. All that separated them from each other were the blankets they had each wrapped around themselves and he knew that there couldn't be much clothing left under it.

And then, to make things worse, she took his hand into hers and placed a soft kiss on it, just like he had done it earlier.

"What was that for?" he asked surprised.

"For being you!" She simply said.

He frowned, "I thought you find me rather annoying," he grinned.

"You know that's not true," she said and turned around to look at him. "You know that, right?"

He was surprised to find her so close and since he didn't trust his voice, he just nodded.

"You're a good man, Richard Castle," she said and placed her hand on his bare chest. She could feel his heart beat quicken, and her eyes moved to his and before she could blink, she felt his lips on hers. He kissed her ever so sweetly and it was happening so quickly that she couldn't even protest, but as sudden as it had started it ended.

"Kate, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have. I better," he was already climbing out of their self-made bed, but she held him back. "Kate," but he was stopped by her finger on his lips.

"Shh," she shushed him, taking his hand and turning around, she pulled him with her and he came to rest right behind her. She placed their right arms over the blanket on her stomach, making him hold her close. Her now slightly uncovered back was firmly placed against his bare chest and the temperature was definitely rising. He could smell her and hear the rapid beating of her heart that matched his. Was he dreaming? Or was he really holding his detective in his arms?


	2. Chapter 2

You guys are amazing! Thank you so much for every review AND every story alert! They were coming in like crazy. I hope I can live up to your expectations. So here's the second chapter. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks again!

xxxxxxxxxxxx

She woke, feeling sort of trapped. Opening her eyes she tried to figure out why. Her head was pinned under his chin and resting on his chest, while his left arm held her close and hers was loosely sprawled out over his torso. She needed a second to realize that this was not a dream but reality. Slowly she pulled back, careful not to wake him but not being able to resist she let her hand tenderly caress his chest. She pushed herself up on her arms, his arm slipping to her hip while she moved. She stopped and studied him. His hair all messy, his lips slightly puffed and the cutest expression on his face, he looked adorable. So that was how it felt to wake up in the arms of Richard Castle and she couldn't stop the smile that played around her lips. And then all on its own, her finger traced the lines on his face. He stirred, making a funny face. She quickly pulled away, feeling somehow caught. She pulled her blankets up and was about to get out of bed, when he opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Good morning," he smiled.

"Morning," she mumbled and continued her retreat.

"Are you trying to sneak out before breakfast?" he cocked one eyebrow and then started to frown, when he saw the deer in the headlights expression on her face.

"I gotta go change," she stuttered and reached for her clothes that were still dangling on the line.

"Not on my account," he grinned and earned himself a gigantic eye roll from her.

"You better get change as well. We need to get going," she tried to gain back control, threw his shirt down on him and disappeared into the bed room. When she stepped out again 10 minutes later, Castle was dressed and had already started to clean up the cabin.

"Have you looked out?" he asked when he saw her standing in the doorway.

She shook her head, moving to the nearest window, she saw what Castle meant. Overnight the rain had emerged into a storm and the trees were swinging ghastly in the wind, while the rain poured down steadily. They wouldn't go anywhere in this weather.

"What now?" he asked, sitting down on the kitchen table.

She sat down opposite to him and shrugged, "We can't go anywhere in this weather."

"So we stay put," it was more of a statement than an actual question.

She nodded, sighing she stared out off the window. He looked at her, was she angry? Was he the reason?

"Beckett, are we okay?" he asked, gesturing between the two of them.

She looked at him confused, "Yes, why shouldn't it be?" She replied irritated.

"I don't know. It's just that …," He didn't know how to phrase it.

"What, Castle?" she snapped and stared at him.

He shot her a look, surprised by her reaction, "Did I do something? Did I say something wrong? Because if I did, I would sure like to know!"

She knew she was being unfair as so often when she didn't know how to deal with the feelings he stirred up in her. She wasn't able to control these emotions and that was what made her snap. She used to be in control, but when it came to Castle it was difficult and part of her blamed him for it, just because it was easier than to look at herself. Last night she had let her guard down, had admitted more than she thought she was ready to and the thought of being trapped with him in this cabin for another day and night scared her. She wasn't used to deal with him on this personal basis in such close quarters. When they worked together there was always the job she could escape to when he got to close. There was always someone to interrupt them. When they spent personal time together she could always decide when it was time to leave. All of that wasn't an option now and after last night that was more dangerous than ever.

She didn't answer, but stared at her hands.

"I don't understand you," Castle finally spoke, "Last night …."

She cut him off, "Well Castle, last night was last night!" She saw the hurt in his eyes and knew that she was pushing him away, again. She just hoped that it was not the final push that would drive him away ultimately. Instead she hoped that he would leave it like that and for a moment she thought her tactic were successful. He looked out off the window ignoring her, but then something changed in his attitude. He made his decision. He had to know.

"Is it always going to be like this?" he asked and looked straight at her.

She was taken aback by his approach, "What?"

"With us? Is it always going to be like this?"

"I don't know what you mean?" she said, confusion evident in her voice.

"Being partners, friends?"

"I don't know. I hope so," she said, her irritation growing.

"But never more," he stated.

She didn't know what to do. She had dreaded this moment. The moment he was done waiting for her to be ready to let him in. And now it was here.

"What do you expect me to say?" she asked, feeling small and lost.

"The truth," he simply said.

"I don't like being pushed," her defence mode was kicking in. But he waited that one out, using a technique he had learnt from her; Silence. And sure enough she added, "I told you I'm not ready."

"I don't expect you to be ready," he said, his voice softening.

For the first time she looked at him and what she saw in his eyes made her armor crumble, she looked away, searching for something in the distance, "I'm not okay." She admitted. It was not more than a whisper, but he heard her.

"I know," he replied and reached for her hand, placing it in his. They sat there for a while in silence, both surprised that they were both still sitting on this table. "Listen Kate, I know you have things you need to deal with. And as I said I don't expect you to be ready. And I certainly don't want you to jump into anything that you're not ready for. What I want you to know is that I'll wait. As long as I'll wait for you, I'll wait. All I'm asking for is a chance. A chance that we'll give this!" he gestured between them, "Us, a try. Whenever you're ready. But I need to know that there's hope. You have to give me that."

She looked at him, taking him in and decided that he deserved at least her honesty.

"What if it doesn't work out?" she looked at him.

He remembered her outburst at her apartment after she had returned form this very cabin: _That__everyone__was__gone._ And he understood what she meant, understood her fear. "If you ask me for a guarantee; I can't give you that. Not because I don't want to, but because I know it doesn't exist. There's no guarantee. We don't know where life will take us. And I know that there are a lot of what ifs. But for me there's only one that counts; What if it does work out?" He squeezed her hand, causing her to look at him. "What I _do_ know is that I have never felt something like this for any other women. What I _do_ know is that we could have something great, something special."

Looking at him, her hand still in his, she was processing what he had said and made a decision.


	3. Chapter 3

My apologies that it took me so long to update! The weekend was just crazy and then my computer crashed and I had to write the whole chapter again. ;-( Thanks again for your amazing support. All the feedback! It's just great. Hope you enjoy this.

XXXXXXXX

Thanking someone on the other end of the line, Esposito got off the phone and rolled over to Ryan's desk, making an emergency stop by grabbing for Ryan's arm.

"Geez!" Ryan exclaimed.

"You sound like a little girl," Esposito chuckled, which just earned him another glare from his partner. "Oh come on!" He boxed his partner against the shoulder and then quickly changed topics, "Okay, our dear Sheriff Johnston admitted that he left Beckett and Castle in this area." He placed a map of Sterling Forest on Ryan's desk and pointed at it.

"That's in the middle of the woods," Ryan stated. "You think they're somewhere out there?"

"No, I think they are here," he pointed at another area on the map. Ryan shot him a questioning look. "Beckett once told me that her father's cabin is at Sterling Forest. So I gave him a call and he's absolutely sure that she would have gone to the cabin."

"So you think they're still there?" Ryan said, a smirk forming on his face, "In the cabin. Alone. In the woods. What do you think they're doing?"

Esposito's grin matched Ryan's, "I don't know. Maybe something useful." He waggled his eyebrows.

"It would be about time," Ryan laughed and they high-fived just as Gates walked in.

"Detectives? Anything new about Beckett and Castle?" she asked and shot them a look.

"Yes Sir, we think they are at the cabin of Beckett's father," Ryan held up the map and pointed somewhere at the green.

"In the middle of the woods?" she blinked. Ryan and Esposito shrugged. "Okay, tell Castle's family about this. I don't want them burning up my telephone line, because they're worried."

"No Sir," Ryan and Esposito both sounded in unison.

Gates turned and started to walk away, but stopped to turn around once more, "I'm wondering what they're doing in this cabin." There was a twitch around her mouth, but before Ryan or Esposito could be sure it was gone and she disappeared into her office.

"Did she just?" Ryan stuttered, pointing at her office.

"No, that wasn't, was it?"

XXXXXXXXXXX

What ever decision she had come to, she didn't get the chance to vocalize it, a loud crack from outside made them jump. They hurried to the window and peeked outside to see a big tree that had surrendered to the storm and fallen across the clearing.

Castle looked at her, "That could have hit us!"

She bend forward, her arm brushing his in the process and tried to get a better look, "No the trees are not big enough and too far away to hit the cabin."

"You sure?" he asked, still sounding worried.

She nodded, "Yeah!" She stepped back unsure how to proceed from here. Their moment was gone and left them somehow dangling in the air. "Breakfast?" She finally asked and hoped to maneuver them into calmer waters.

He nodded and true to his word, he didn't push. He had made his claim. The rest was up to her. And he would give her some time and space to sort things out.

So they spent the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon with chit-chat until Beckett got up to rummaged through one of the kitchen cabinets, "Do you play chess?" she asked with his back to him.

"Yes, why?" he leant forward to see what she was doing.

"Ah, here it its," she exclaimed and pulled out a chessboard. "My father and I use to play a lot whenever we are out here."

"Seems to be a father/daughter thing," he chuckled, "I use to play with Alexis. But I think I have to stop, she's getting too good."

"So what do you say? Are you in ?" she waggled her eyebrows.

"Bring it on, Detective. Bring it on!" he pushed up his sleeves and rubbed his hands together. "Any chance of this turning into strip chess?"

"Castle!" she smacked his upper arm and laid the chess board on the table, handing him his pieces and bringing hers into position, before she made her first move.

It was getting dark outside when she checkmated him for the 20th times and threw her hands in the air in a gesture of victory. "Gotcha! Again!" She laughed and despite his best effort to pout like a baby he couldn't help but join in.

"What?" he asked when he caught her looking at him.

"I haven't laughed like this in a long time," she admitted shyly.

"You should, it suits you," he replied, turning serious.

She smiled shortly before she got up to put the chess board back into the cabinet, "How's Alexis doing since her break-up?"

It took him a second to adapt to the change of topic, "You know, how it is. First love, always hard to forget. But she's gonna get over it. We all did, didn't we?" he looked at her strangely and there was something in his eyes that she couldn't place. He got up and moved over to the fire place, looking into the dancing flames, he seemed to be miles away.

"Kyra?" she asked.

He shook his head, "Meredith."

"You never told me what happened between the two of you," she said, realizing how much she had always wondered about this part of his life.

He sighed, "We were young, in love and had a wild, crazy time," he started, his eyes never leaving the flames.

"What happened?" she asked and slowly walked over to his side. The only light that was now illuminating the cabin, was the fire in front of them, the rest of their quarters was wrapped in darkness.

"Alexis happened," his face lit up, "She was so tiny. The little fingers, the little feet and the first time she looked at me …," he smiled at the memory, while her heart leaped out to him. She had always adored him for the father he was. It was a part of Richard Castle she hadn't expected when she first met him. It was one of the many things about him that had surprised her. "You know, I didn't mind her travelling, it was part of her job," he went on, "I knew that and I loved the time Alexis and I spent together."

"But?"

"You met her. She's one of a kind. For Meredith, _Meredith_ always comes first. Don't get me wrong. I know she loves Alexis, in her own very special way and on her schedule. She loves her, but she has no idea what it means to be responsible, to take care of someone that depends on you or how to treat the people that care for you. One day she came back from one of her movie jobs and presented me the divorce papers. No warning. No, let's talk about this. When I asked her why, she said that we limited her. That she needed mental and local space in order to grow as an actress. She needed to be in L.A. not in New York. Not with us," He paused. "At first I was so mad at her, for just leaving like that, but later I realized that it had been for the best. It would never have worked out between us and it probably spared us much more heartache."

Beckett was stunned. She had never seen this side of him. Richard Castle had been hurt by a woman. It had never accured to her.

"I'm sorry," she whispered and reached for his hand.

"Don't be," he turned at her and smiled, looking at their joint hands, "It all happened for a reason."

Neither of them spoke, they just looked at each other, the fire flickering behind them, she reached up to cup his face between her hands, "Wait!" she whispered and hoped that he would understand.

The smile on his face told her that he did. He nodded into her hands, "I'll wait."


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for the reviews guys. Here's the next chapter. Temperatures are rising...

XXXXXXXXX

Bed time came and left Castle unsure where he would or should spend the night. Things had changed since last night. Definitely for the better but exactly that could be a reason for Beckett to keep some space between them. Taking the safe option he put his pillow and blanket on the kitchen bench, while she got changed in the bedroom.

When she reappeared, he sat on his sleeping quarter, looking up at her. What he saw in her face was first surprise that quickly changed to a look of hurt.

"Oh," she got out when she realized that he obviously planned to sleep away from her. Making her wonder if he might after all misinterpreted her request from earlier.

He sensed that he had made a mistake and quickly jumped up, "I didn't want to assume that it would be okay if we slept together again," he bit his tongue at his wording and blushed, which despite the dim light didn't went unnoticed by Beckett and let her chuckle at his obvious nervousness. Instead of saying anything, she pulled him with her like she had done it the previous night and he couldn't help the goofy grin that spread all over his face.

Slipping into bed next to her she immediately sought body contact and nestled her back against his chest. She had made a promise to herself, from now on there would only be progress, no more shying away, no more cowardliness. She cuddled even closer, when Castle's arm came to hold her close and started to draw circles on his arm with her fingers. There was one more thing on her mind that she didn't know how to approach.

"Castle?" she whispered, half hoping that he was already asleep so that she could post-pone this until tomorrow.

"Mmhhh," he mumbled into her ear.

She sighed, "You said, you'll wait as long as it takes."

She felt him nod, "I meant it."

"I know, but if you," she paused and he wished he could see her face.

"If I what?" he asked and popped himself up on his elbow to have a better look at her.

She turned on her back and started to stare at her fingers, feeling all uncomfortable, "If you need to …, you know what I mean."

Surprisingly it dawned on him what she meant, "I think so," he replied still sounding unsure.

"Just don't tell me, okay?" she quickly said and was about to turn away from him, but he stopped her.

"I'm not sure I understand," he said and tried to make her look at him.

"I'm aware that you're meeting women. That insurance lady," she said that with more disgust than she had intended to, "She was probably just the only one that I _met_. I just want to say I understand, but I don't want to know."

"I wasn't with the insurance woman," he said and somehow was surprised that she still believed that.

"You weren't?" It was the first time since this conversation started that she looked at him.

"No," he shook his head, "Truth to be told, I haven't been with anyone since I broke up with Gina."

Now she was seriously shocked. She didn't doubt him for a second but still she couldn't believe it, "Why?"

"I was waiting for you," he simply stated, "I still am," he added with a small smile.

There was something in her eyes, he had never seen before and then her hands reached up and cupped his face, pulling him down she let his lips crush down on hers. It took him less than a second to respond, rolling over he came to rest on top of her and deepened their kiss. Her hands grabbed his hair and pulled him closer, before they wandered further down his back, her nails digging into his skin. His tongue begged for entrance and she admitted it, while his hands cupped her face.

"Kate," he mourned and started trailing kisses down her neck. Her back ached towards him, while his hands started wandering down her body until they reached the hem of her shirt, the moment his fingers touched her bare skin, he heard her mourn his name. It was the sweetest sound he had ever heard and it made him stop in his movement. He looked up at her face and stared into these beautiful eyes of hers that had him fascinated from the first time he had laid his on her.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered and placed the softest kiss on her lips.

"You're not so bad yourself, Castle," she smiled, using the same words she had used once before.

"Is this real?" he asked.

"If your level of excitement that is pushing against me is any indicator, then yes! This is very real!" she bit her lower lip in that cute manner that told him she was nervous.

He chuckled and softly let his fingers dance over her face. Amazed that she was so close. That he was finally allowed to touch her, to look at her without the fear of being caught.

"You're okay?" he asked, while playing with her hair.

She nodded, "More than okay."

"Good," he said and rolled off her on his back and pulled her with him.

She was confused. A minute ago, they were heavily making out and now he just rolled over?

"Castle? Everything okay?" she slightly turned around, her head coming to rest on his chest.

"Yes," he replied, tilting his head to look at her.

"But?" she cocked one eyebrow.

His left hand that was holding her close wandered under her shirt and started to draw circles on the small of her back. "I want to do this right," he said sincerely. "I don't want you to regret this tomorrow."

"Rick, I won't regret it." She replied.

"I've never been old-fashioned when it came to women or dating or," he paused, "Sex. But with you; I want that, Kate."

She looked at him with a hint of amusement, "So what are suggesting? No sex before we're married?"

He shrieked, "NO! But no Sex until I took you out on a real date."

"You know, you don't have to do that on my behalf," she said and placed a feather light kiss on his chest.

"But I want to, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed and cuddled closer to him.

"God, I'm such a catch!" he stated self-satisfied, "OUCH! Don't pinch me!"


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you guys. The support for this little piece of mine is so overwhelming! I hope you keep enjoying it! Sorry for the delay. I'll try to get the next chapter up as fast as I can.

xxxxxxx

"I don't think this is the right way," Ryan said and turned the map in his hand once more.

"Yo man! I told you half an hour ago we should have taken the other road," Esposito hit the breaks and snatched the map out of Ryan's hands. "Where did we leave the main road?" he asked.

"Here," Ryan pointed out. "And the cabin is here."

Esposito studied the map and then hit reverse, turning the car around he headed back where they had come from.

Xxxxxxx

She woke up in his arms, half sprawled over him, their legs intertwined. This time she had no intention of sneaking out off bed, instead she put her ear on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat she let her fingers softly dance over his chest.

"Mmmh," he sighed and with one slight pull, she lay on top of him.

"Huh," she squealed and then laughed.

"Good morning, Katherine Beckett. I hope you rested well," he mumbled his eyes still closed.

She chuckled, "Why so formal, Mr. Castle?"

"Oh my mother told me that's how to treat a lady in the morning," he made it sound awfully naughty and opened his eyes, beaming into hers.

"Morning, Kate!"

"Morning, Rick," she grinned back and kissed him. What had started as a harmless morning kiss, quickly turned into something more heated. His hands found their way into her hair and then further down her back, in a quick movement he turned them over and came to rest on top of her. His lips immediately finding hers again before he continued his exploration of her body and kissed his way further down her neck. She let her head fall back to grant him better access and wrapped her legs around his waist, making him grunt, when his growing erection was tightly pressed against her.

His hand wandered under her shirt again, slowly starting to pull it up, "What happened to your old-fashioned resolutions from last night," she mumbled, surprised by his aggressiveness.

"Screw them!" He grunted when his lips came crushing down on hers once more. Her hands grabbing his head she pulled him even closer, mourning into his mouth when she granted his tongue access. She grinned against his lips, before she took advantage of her close-combat training and in one swift movement, brought him onto his back, straddling him. He shot her a questioning look.

"Just making sure, you won't change your mind," she smirked.

"Not a chance," he shot her challenging look and reached up to grab her, when she suddenly held up one hand to stop him, while the index finger of her other hand went to her mouth.

"Shh! Did you hear that?" she asked.

"Nice try, Detective!" he laughed and tried to tackle her again, but her hand pressed down on his chest and held him in place and that's when he heard it as well.

"Yo, Beckett! Castle! Are you in there?" Esposito shouted from somewhere outside.

"Shit!" Beckett and Castle exclaimed and looked at each other slightly panicked.

"Get up!" She hissed and was already standing next to him, grapping for her jeans.

He stumbled up and looked around, searching for his pair, "Did you ..?" That was as far as he got before they smacked him in the face. "Thanks!"

"Would you please hurry?" she hissed at him and for a second it worried him that she was so eager to hide their actions from Ryan and Esposito. He looked up to see her face and what he saw blew all of his worries away, the most affectionate smile was plastered on her face, she reached for the door knob, but before she opened it to throw them back into reality she turned around once more to wink at him.

"Esposito, we're here," she called out when she opened the door.

"Are you guys okay?" Ryan asked when they stepped into the cabin, shaking off the rain.

"Yeah, we're fine," Beckett replied and was not sure where to look. "But we're definitely ready to go back to civilisation, right Castle?"

"Yepp, totally ready!" He quickly agreed. "We should probably clean up first though," he quickly added and grabbed one of the pillows that lay on the mattress. Esposito frowned, realizing that there were actually two pillows on that mattress. He bumped into Ryan's shoulder giving him a pointed look and nodded his head into the direction of the mattress. First Ryan looked confused but then his eyes went from Beckett to Castle and back to Esposito and he smirked knowingly at his partner.

"So you guys have done anything useful, while you were here?" Ryan asked and had to work hard to hide his smirk.

"No, just waiting," Beckett said as casually as she could, but couldn't help to glance quickly over at Castle, who was busy trying to look innocent.

"Aha," Esposito grinned, "Well let's get going then."

After a two hour drive and another hour spent in Gates office Beckett walked back to her desk and was surprised to find Castle waiting for her.

"You're still here?" she asked and let herself fall into her chair.

"I thought you could use one those," he handed her a steaming cup of coffee, which she gratefully accepted. "So are you done for today?"

She sighed and shook her head, "No I need to finish the paperwork. Gates wants it until the end of the day."

"Can't Ryan and Esposito do that for you?" He asked.

"They finished up what they could, but I need to fill in the blanks," she looked at him and realized that he looked tired. "You should go home Castle. Alexis and Martha are probably already waiting for you."

"I called them, I'm sure they will survive another hour without me," Castle replied, sort of trying to make a point.

She studied him, since when was he so eager to hang around when she was doing paperwork? But she already knew the answer to that and she really appreciated it, but she also knew that she would be much faster if he was not around watching her.

"That's really sweet of you, but I think I can manage without you," and as the bullpen was no place to exchange sentiments she only added, "See you on Monday?" It was something between a statement and a question and Castle was not quite sure what to make of it.

"Yes, of course. Monday," he said and stood up but since he didn't like the idea of ending their day like this, he turned around once more, "Listen why don't you come over when you're done here and we have dinner together? After all these can-food you need something decent to eat and I'm sure mother and Alexis would love to see you."

"I don't know, Castle. Don't you want to spend the evening with your family?" she asked, not wanting to intrude.

"Yes that's the plan. So you're coming! Great. Give me a call when you're done here." And with that he was gone. Wearing the most satisfied grin on his face, he walked to the elevator and disappeared.

xxxxxxxxxx

"DAD!" Alexis exclaimed when he walked into the apartment and threw her arms around her father.

"Hey Pumpkin! Did you miss your old man?" he returned the hug with the same intensity.

"Of course we did, darling!" Martha joined them and gave her son a kiss on the cheek.

"Are you okay?" Alexis asked and pulled her dad over to the sitting area.

"Yeah, I'm fine. We spent the last two nights at the cabin of Beckett's father but that is as adventurous as it got." He couldn't hide a grin, when he thought of the other things they did, but he would keep that to himself for now.

"Speaking of Beckett; Why didn't you bring her?" Martha asked reproachful.

"Oh, she had to finish some things at the precinct, but I invited her to dinner later."

"That's my boy!" Martha patted him on the shoulder.

"Great, so what are we going to dish up?" Alexis asked and was already up on her way to the kitchen to see what they could come up with, Martha followed her and soon his two ladies were totally absorbed in their dinner preparations. He smiled at the sight and then smelled at his shirt, realizing that he was in a desperate need for a shower.


	6. Chapter 6

Hi there my lovelies! Thanks for the ongoing support! It means a lot to me! So I hope you'll enjoy this chapter. I think it's sweet. Not much action though. If you know what I mean. ;-) But I promise. We are getting there. ;-)

xxxxxxxxxx

She knocked at his door at half past six that evening, feeling nervous. Things had changed and she wasn't quite sure what to expect. Had he told Alexis and Martha what had happened between them? How would they react? And his family comment from earlier was still running through her mind. What did it mean? There was no time to muse about it any longer as she was greeted by Alexis who swung open the door and beamed up at her.

"Detective Beckett, come on in," she welcomed her and reached for her hand to pull the not moving Detective into the apartment, where Martha was already awaiting her.

"Kate," Martha exclaimed and immediately embraced her, "This is becoming a nice little tradition, isn't it?"

Kate just nodded, not trusting her voice. It never stopped to amaze her how welcomed she felt whenever she stepped into the Castle home and considering the recent developments she felt hope that she could be part of this more often in the future.

"Thanks for the invitation," she finally managed and handed Alexis her coat before she followed Martha into the kitchen, where Castle was pottering about with a pan. For a moment she just watched him, standing at the kitchen counter, mesmerized by the man in front of her, until Alexis joined them and Castle finally turned around.

"Kate, hi," he beamed at her and was sure he saw her blushing. Since when was his savvy, kick-ass detective so easily awed?

"Hey," she sort of whispered back, a goofy smile on her face, which didn't went unnoticed by Martha and Alexis, who shot each other a questioning look.

No one moved or spoke for what seemed like an eternity and Martha could swear the air was so thick, she could have cut it with a knife. When she couldn't stand it any longer she took over the helm, "So my dear, can I offer you a glass of wine? My son seems to have forgotten his manners." She grabbed the bottle of red wine from the kitchen counter and shoved Beckett towards the table not waiting for an answer.

When finally everyone was seated and all plates were filled, Castle raised his glass, "I would like to make a toast: To family!" he said and let his eyes roam over the three most important women in his life.

"To family!" They all joined in and clinked glasses. When Martha looked over at Beckett she could see tears glistening in the younger woman's eyes, leaning forward and reaching around her side of the table, she reached for her hand and gave her gentle squeeze. Kate looked up in surprise catching Martha's comforting nod and managed a small smile, before she shifted her attention back to her plate.

"So what did you do in that cabin in the past two days?" Alexis suddenly asked, causing Kate's head to snap up, "Dad has been kind of secretive about it."

She looked at Castle, who looked similar shocked and tried to muster a tone that wouldn't give them away as Castle apparently hadn't said anything about the change in their relationship, "Not much really," she tried to play it down, "We played some chess to kill time."

"That's sounds awfully boring," Martha stated, filling up Beckett's and her glasses.

"Oh I wouldn't say that," Castle said without looking up, his tone ambiguous.

Martha looked at Kate who all of a sudden seemed to have taken a special interest in her potatoes. Alexis had noticed it too and raised her eyebrows when she looked at her grandmother, who shrugged in reply. Clueless of what was going on.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

An hour later they had finished dinner and were sitting on the couch in the living room area, while Martha and Alexis had retreated into the kitchen, preparing some popcorn. Martha stood at the counter watching the two of them. Finally she tugged at Alexis arm, causing her to look at her.

"So kiddo, what's your take? What's going on between Detective Beckett and your father?"

"I don't know, but they're sure acting strange," Alexis considered watching her father and his Muse talking on the couch. "Is it my imagination, or are have they moved closer towards each other since we left them?"

"Definitely not your imagination!" Martha hissed and grabbed the bowl of popcorn before she pulled her granddaughter along,

"So what are we watching?" Kate asked when everyone was seated and stacked up with popcorn.

"Oh it's a very special one. It's a Castle," Castle replied grabbing for the remote control and pushing the play button.

The pictures that flickered over the screen were old and faded and seemed to be from a different time.

"Dad this is our old family movie," Alexis exclaimed excited. "I thought the projector was broken!"

"Oh, it is! But I had it put on DVD." He smiled and then turned to Beckett, "When Alexis was young I had this cool, old Super 8 camera."

"And he used it at every occasion, I tell you!" Martha interrupted him. "All the other dad's had the latest video equipment, but my son had to use this old thing."

"Mother, it's cool! It's got style!" Castle tried to defend himself.

"It's dumb, in every sense of the word!" Martha retorted and Kate couldn't help but chuckle at their interaction.

"Guys, could we just watch it?" Alexis finally suggested.

"What? Are you afraid you could miss something?" Martha shot her a questioning look.

Alexis looked from her grandmother to her father and then smirked, "No, no. I'll just ask dad to turn up the volume!" She replied and then the three women burst into laughter, while Castle sat in the middle of them pouting.

"Yeah, very funny! You'll keep laughing. I will watch this now."

"Oh dad, come on!" Alexis patted his cheek.

"You three just wait! I'll get you back for this one!" he threatened.

"What Castle, more cruelties form the 80's?" Beckett asked and smirked at him. Behind his back Alexis raced her hand for Kate to high-five it.

"Oh Kate, finally a woman who knows how to handle him!" Martha laughed and caused another blush to creep up Beckett's cheeks.

Castle on the other side was oblivious to that, raising his hand to his heart, he said: "Mutiny! And this from my own flesh and blood!" He sounded overly dramatic, making a show of being deeply hurt. But on the inside he was overflowing with joy. This was exactly what he had wanted. All of them together, having fun. Like a real family. He had waited so long for this. He had waited so long for the right one. For her. And for her to be ready and now finally everything started to fall into place.

Beckett bumped her shoulder lightly against his, fearing that his Ego had taken serious harm, but when he turned around, he flashed her one of his brightest smiles and winked at her. She turned her attention back to the TV afraid that she would get lost in his eyes and his smile, when a little red headed girl waved into the camera.

"Alexis, you were so cute! I mean you still are, but … !" Kate exclaimed when she saw the red head running towards the person that was holding the camera, which could only be Castle.

"Come on, Beckett! What did you expect? Look at her father." Castle puffed his chest with pride and Beckett had to stop herself from kissing him. He could be so adorable, when he talked about his daughter.

They spent the rest of the evening watching Castle family memories, eating popcorn, teasing each other. Which meant mostly the three women against Castle but he didn't mind at all. He knew if he wanted to, he could take them all down simultaneously.

But as all good things the evening had to come to an end and Kate said her goodbyes. Thanking them all for the lovely evening she left the Castle home, leaving Castle sort of unsatisfied.

"I'm going upstairs," Martha announced after he had closed the door behind Beckett, "Good night, my dears!" She waved one last time at them before she disappeared up the stairs.

"Dad?" Alexis looked at her father, sounding awfully serious.

"Pumpkin?" he looked back, his tone matching hers.

"I think you should go after her," she stated.

"I'm not sure I know what you mean," he looked at her confused.

"Oh you do! Now go!" she smirked and opened the door for him, giving him a push.

One last look at his daughter and he was out of the door. At last second he shot his arm between the elevator doors and forced them to open again.

"Castle?" Beckett looked at him surprised. "Everything okay? Did I forget something?" she asked and looked down at herself, to see if she had left her scarf.

"You forgot this," he mumbled and before she could say another word, she found herself pressed against the wall. His lips on hers, hungrily she responded in less than a second, grabbing his shirt to pull him closer. His hands were pressed to her shoulders, trapping her between him and the wall, but she didn't mind. He couldn't be close enough. She moaned into his mouth and his kiss became even more passionate. The ride downstairs was short and so the doors of the elevator pinged way too soon, announcing their arrival at the Lobby. He pulled back, gazing into her eyes he said, "Goodnight kiss. You forgot your goodnight kiss."

"Thanks for bringing it to me," she smiled and caressed his cheek, before she stepped out of the elevator.

"Night, Kate!" He whispered to her, when she passed him.

She turned towards him, a twinkle in her eye, "Until tomorrow!"

He smiled, remembering the moment, very early in their partnership when they had used the same words, just the other way around.

"Is that a promise?" he asked.

"You still owe me a date," she remembered him. "And you're lucky. Saturday is my date night."

"I call you tomorrow," he announced and grabbed her, to pull her close one more time and place a soft kiss on her lips. "Until tomorrow!"


	7. Chapter 7

Thanks for the reviews and story alerts! This chapter sort of took on a life on its own. It turned out to be a built up for the next one. I hope you enjoy it anyway. ;-)

xxxxxxxxxxxx 

She had 15 minutes. 15 minutes until the town car would pick her up. And she still didn't know what to wear. She had attached her make-up, had done her hair and stood almost naked in her bedroom, not being able to make a decision. For what felt like the hundreds times she looked at herself in the mirror and compared the red dress in her right hand to the dark blue one in her left. She sighed in frustration and threw both of them on her bed. Why was it so hard to find the right outfit? Before the shooting she would have opted for a green one with a deep neckline she had always saved for a special occasion, but now that wasn't an option for her anymore. At least that was how she felt.

"Think, Beckett! Think!" she told herself and looked one more time at the two dresses on her bed. And then out of pure instinct she grabbed the blue one.

20 minutes later she sat in the back of the town car that was bringing her to his loft. She had argued that it would be easier to take a taxi, but he had insisted on getting her picked up. So she was sitting here in expensive leather seats, fumbling nervously with her hands and trying to calm herself down. It was just a date. It was just Castle, right? She took a steadying breath. But who was she kidding? It was DATE with CASTLE! She grunted and sucked in her lower lip. Causing the driver to turn around, "Everything okay, Ma'am?"

She nodded, "Yes, I'm fine." Embarrassed that her current stayed of mind was this obvious, she forced herself to remain still for the rest of the ride and stared out of the window, watching the illuminated New York pass by.

Five minutes later they pulled up in front of his building, thanking the driver and taking one last deep breath she got out of the car and walked into his building. Stepping into the elevator she pushed for his floor. "Relax Kate!" she mumbled to herself. "You made out with him in the cabin. You kissed him in this very elevator just yesterday. There's nothing to be nervous about!" And yet she knew there was.

This date was proof that it was real. That what happened between them was not a spur of the moment thing in the woods and not only built up sexual tension that needed to be released. Well maybe that too, she could feel herself blush at that thought, but most importantly there was the promise of more. The promise that this was the beginning of something they both wanted. The thought of this lingered on her mind, when she finally raised her hand to knock on his door.

The door swung open momentarily and she was greeted by his bright smile, "Kate! Hi!" She stepped into his apartment allowing him to help her out of her coat. "Wow! You look," he stuttered, not knowing how to put into words what he saw in front of him. The blue dress she wore matched his blue button-down shirt, not to mention that it fitted her perfectly. It clung to her like a second skin and he didn't know where to look first as it hugged all the important body parts and made her look more feminine than he had ever seen her. "You look breathtaking!"

She smiled shyly, "Thank you!"

He reached for her hand and pulled her close to place a soft kiss on her cheek, before he guided her further into his apartment, letting her take the lead. He followed her and while seeing her front had taken his breath away, her back side nearly gave him a heart attack. The low-cut back of her dress left little to his imagination, making absolutely clear what she was not wearing under it. He tried to breathe, but it sounded like a whimper and made her stop in track and turn around to look at him. Satisfied with his reaction to her wardrobe and feeling just a bit more confident than she had 5 minutes ago, she cocked one eyebrow and said: "Are you joining me or are you planning to guard that door for the rest of the evening?"

He shook his head to get rid of his widely inappropriate thoughts of who he actually wanted to _guard_, "Yes, yes. I'm coming." He muttered between clenched teeth and rushed over to her side, trying not to make a complete fool out of himself. He stepped behind the kitchen counter and fumbled with a bottle of red wine. They clinked glasses and she got lost in the smile he gave her while doing so. Both took their first sip, without breaking eye contact and Beckett realized that it was getting more difficult to get enough air into her lungs. She needed a distraction, before she totally lost it right here and right now.

"Where are Alexis and Martha?" she asked, going for the safest topic that came to her mind without having to talk about the weather.

"Alexis is spending the night at a friend's house. Girls night out or something and my mother is seeing a play tonight," Castle elaborated and was glad that he sounded almost normal, because looking at her made his mind fuzzy and stirred other body parts of him into action that shouldn't be stirred. At least not yet.

He was about to lean a bit closer into her personal space when the front door suddenly opened and they both shot up like teenager that got caught in the act.

"Mother!" Castle exclaimed. "I thought you were at the theatre?"

"I was on my way Richard," she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Kate, raising a question brow when she took in her appearance, "I forgot my tickets." She finished her sentence before she looked from her son to Beckett and back. "So what's going on here?"

Castle looked at Kate, not sure how to answer that question.

"Is this another undercover thing you two are getting yourselves into?" Martha asked and was already grabbing for her tickets that lay on the coffee table.

Kate gave Castle an approving nod. A silent agreement that he was allowed to tell his mother the truth, "Actually Kate and I are going out tonight." He waited for his mother to register what he had said, but to his surprise she kept heading for the door. Calling out over her back, "You kids have fun!"

"On a date!" he clarified and this time she froze. She slowly turned around, facing the two of them.

"You mean on a real date?" Beckett and Castle both nodded. "And you're not kidding me?" Both shook their heads. "Oh!" she squealed in delight and rushed over, hugging first Beckett and then her son. "Finally! You know I really started thinking that you two would wait until I'm six feet under!" For what felt like an eternity she didn't move and just stared at them like a five year old on Christmas Day until Castle cleared his throat.

"Mother?" he gave her a pointed look.

"Uh? Oh right. I'm gone. You two have fun," she headed for the door, standing on the threshold she turned around once more. "Don't wait up for me, kiddos! I will spend the night elsewhere." She gave them a knowing wink, before she shut the door behind her.

For a minute neither of them spoke, both dealing with the implications his mother had made, "So you're ready to go?" he finally asked when he managed to get certain images out of his head.

"Yes," she replied and placed her wine glass on the counter. "Where are you taking me?"

He shook his head grinning, "We don't wanna spoil the surprise now, do we?"

She rolled her eyes but followed him towards the door where he helped her into her coat. He took advantage of the situation and placed a tender kiss on her shoulder, while he was holding her coat out for her to slip in. To her it felt hot and cold at the same time and made her tremble. No man had ever had such an effect on her. And part of her wished she could just turn around and rip his clothes off him. Right here, right now and make love to him. Weren't dates highly overrated? But the other part of her was eager to find out what it felt like to be on a date with Richard Castle, so she let him guide her out of the apartment. His hand on the small of her back and butterflies doing a rollercoaster ride in her stomach, she was curious where this night would take them.


	8. Chapter 8

So not yet there, but almost. The next chapter will be, you know what. ;-)

XXXXX

They sat in the back of the car without talking, neither of them wanting to disturb the comfortable silence that they had settled into. He had gotten into the car after her and his hand had found its place on hers as if it was the most natural thing in the world for him to do. Still he was nervous. He hoped she would like his surprise. The car stopped and his door opened, pulling her with him they got out on his side. She looked up at the impressive and famous building in front of her and gasped when she realized where they were.

"The Metropolitan Museum of Art?" she exclaimed. "But it's after hours!" She realized and looked at him confused.

"I hope so," he grinned. "I want you all to myself."

She was sure her heart had skipped a beat at his words. _Get__your__thoughts__out__of__the__gutter,_ she told herself and let him guide her up the stairs to the main entrance. She was anxious to see what he had planed. She had to admit that in their everyday life she often forgot that he was a rich man. It was another aspect of him that she adored. He didn't let his money define him. He wasn't one of the men who needed to constantly show it off to feel power over others. Whenever they went for a beer after work, or grabbed something to eat, whether it was just the two of them, or the whole gang they always went to places with _cop-friendly_ prices. He never tried to get them into one of the fancy joints he certainly was used to. Yes, he did buy one or two rounds more than the others but no one minded that. And she would never forget how selflessly he had come up with the 100 grand to catch her mother's killer. He had never mentioned it again, even at their lowest points he had never used it against her. But now it hit her that she was on a date with a millionaire and that he had possibilities she could only dream of.

A door man held open one of the big front doors to them and helped them out of their coats.

"Castle?" she shot him a look between excitement and uncertainty.

He just put one finger to his lips and shook his head, putting his hand on the small of her back he guided her to their right. His hand on her naked skin, sent shivers down her spine and she wondered how such an innocent touch could make her feel so inappropriate. Lost in her thoughts she missed where they were going and only when the stepped into the big hall, she realized that he had guided her directly to the Egypt Art Exhibition. She stared, her eyes wide in awe. How did he know?

"How?" she asked, not trusting herself to get more words out.

"I saw the books at your place and assumed," he still looked unsure and hoped he really had done the right thing. "Do you like it?"

She turned around and looked at him, the most affectionate smile on her face, "Like? I love it!" She let her view wander over the Temple of Dendur and saw the table for two that was set in the middle of it. Lit by what seemed to be a million candles. "Thank you!" And then she reached up and pulled him down for a soft, tender kiss.

He smiled from ear to ear when she pulled back, "Hungry?"

She nodded and let him guide her to their waiting table, shaking her head in disbelieve, she sure felt like Cinderella. And it touched her deeply that he was so attentive, that he knew her so well. He pulled out her chair, being the gentleman that his mother had raised him to be, before he took his seat opposite to her. They smiled at each other, being unsure where to start.

A waiter appeared out of nowhere, filling their glasses with wine and asking if they were ready for the starters. With one look at Kate for affirmation, Castle nodded. Turning his attention back towards the beautiful woman in front of him, he reached over the table and laced his fingers with hers.

"How did you do all this?" she finally asked, looking at their intertwined fingers and started to wonder where hers started and his ended.

"I know a guy," he grinned and caused her to roll her eyes.

"Of course, you do!" But the twinkle in her eyes gave her away. She wasn't annoyed. She liked it.

They had a marvellous time, talking, laughing and exchanging meaningful looks. Both amazed that this was so easy for them. After all this dancing around they had finally found their rhythm. And as if on cue music filled the air and Kate looked up to see a small combo taking their seats in a corner near to them, "Too cheesy?" he asked.

She leant over the table, closer to him. "I'll kill you if you tell Esposito or Ryan, but I'm sort of the romantic type."

"I figured that. But don't worry. You're secrets safe with me," he had met her half way and stole a quick kiss from her lips. "Wanna dance?"

She slid her hand into his and followed him on their improvised dance floor. His right hand circled her waist pulling her close and for a second she was shocked at just how close, but her left arm came to circle around his shoulder nevertheless, her hand resting on his neck. Their other hands he held close to his heart, when he started to gently sway them to the music. She looked at him and then her view wandered over to the musicians and she grinned, "Let me guess, you know a guy."

He laughed, leaving her comment as it was and instead stole another kiss from her, before he was happy to see her head coming to rest on his shoulder. She breathed him in, finally being able to do so, without the fear of getting caught.

"Are you happy?" he asked into her hair.

She turned her head to look at him, was she happy? The smile on her face could have lit all of New York and he knew she was, "Are you?" she asked.

He haltered their dance to a sudden stop and kissed her, with such passion that she would have been a puddle on the floor hadn't his arms held her upright. When she finally came up for air, looking all dizzy, she saw the satisfied grin on his face and decided it was time for payback. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him down for a kiss that sent him straight out of the orbit. When they finally broke apart for the need of oxygen, they both looked dazed. He was the first to react, pulling her with him, he mumbled, "Let's get out of here!"

Shouting a quick thank you towards the musicians they were already on their way to the main entrance. Beckett couldn't help but giggle at his sudden urgency, but didn't mind it at all. They had waited long enough to get to this point. She wasn't willing to waste another second either. She needed him in many ways but right now there was only one way that mattered to her. Grabbing their coats they sprinted towards the waiting town car and got in. Not bothering about giving directions Castle's lips found hers again, while his arms sneaked around her and pulled her closer. She moaned when his lips met her collar bone and left a hot, wet trail on it. Her nails dug into his back and let him groan with pleasure. He was tempted to rip the dress off her, but given their current location he refrained from it, knowing she would hurt him, if he tried.

"Rick," she sighed when he started nibbling on her pulse point and hearing her say his name like this drove him crazy.

"Kate, you have no idea," was as far as he got, before she pulled up his face and started to kiss him on the mouth again. Their tongues immediately starting to dance, he couldn't remember a time when just kissing had turned him on like this. He was barely touching her. Her hands held his head and still he felt as if he would explode any minute.

The car finally stopped and Castle pulled her out of it, almost tripping over the curb, which caused her to chuckle, "Hey there," she spoke softly, "I know you're eager, but let's try to make it upstairs in one piece, okay?"

"Yeah, right," was all he could reply, straitening himself he linked arms with her and guided her into his building. Much to his dismay they had to share the elevator with an elder couple, restraining them from further explorations of one another. When they reached his floor, he took her hand and she followed him slowly down the corridor to his apartment. Opening the door they found themselves in his living room, suddenly unsure how to proceed.

They looked at each other, trying to read the others mind and before he could stop himself, he took a step towards her and reached out to touch her face, "I love you!" He said with such seriousness that she thought she would faint.

"I know," she heard herself say, before she could stop it.

He looked at her, a mixture of shock, hurt and confusion on his face.

"Rick," she reached out to him, but he shied away from her touch.

"You remember?" he asked his voice indifferent.

She just nodded.

"Since when?"

The look on her face was answer enough.


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry guys, that it took so long. But here it comes. The steamy part. At least I hope so. So let me know what you think!** **There will be one more chapter after this.**

xxxxx

He had to process the new information. He had suspected that she remembered at least something. The way she had always side-stepped his questions about that particular day, the way her answers came always too fast, too eager. But what he hadn't expected was that she knew all a long. That she had heard him and had decided to lie to him about it. The look on his face was the mirror of his soul, of his heart. She could see how much she had hurt him with her lie. But she didn't have a choice, right? She had to lock the truth away. She did it for both of them. At least that's what she tried to make herself believe.

He just stood there, contemplating his options. He could be angry and push her away and they would be back to square one or worse. Or he could try to understand. His heart told him that there had to be a reason. She wouldn't risk hurting him like this without a reason. He knew her too well. Her voice cut through his inner battle and pulled him back to present.

"I better go," she said, sounding defeated and looking miserable. He could see the tears she tried to fight and his heart ached at the sight of her being so broken and he instinctively knew what to do.

"Why?" his question caught her by surprise and she shot him a puzzled look. Why she was going or why she lied? She looked at him and knew what he was asking for, but it didn't make the answer any easier. But she knew she had to. She owed him that. She owed herself that. _She deserved to be happy_. His words rang through her mind. His words that seemed to be from so long ago. She was a different person back then. So much had happened. So much had changed. She didn't want to go back to that dark place, she didn't. She wanted to be here in the light, with him and so she said it.

"I was scared," she finally admitted, without looking at him.

"Why?" he asked again, wanting the whole truth, not just bits of it. Not just the parts that were easy to admit. He wanted, no he needed everything.

She sighed and he could sense she was fighting against herself, against her inner demons, her pride - everything, "It was all so complicated. Such a big mess. Everything was just so," she was searching for the right words, kneading her hands, she needed him to understand, "Lost."

She looked up at him and was surprised to realize that he had moved closer to her, a good sign, she thought. But his eyes telling her he wanted more, he needed more. More than what he already knew and suspected.

"I wasn't ready and I didn't want to hurt you and I didn't want to explain why I wasn't ready," she sighed and hoped that it would be enough. He moved another step closer to her, he could touch her if he wanted, but he had one more why in him.

"Why?" he asked and she looked him straight into the eyes, knowing it was time. It was time to take that last step, to jump, to dive into it without looking back.

"Because I love you!" she said and just like that everything fell into place. The weight she had been carrying around for so long was lifted from her shoulders. "I love you," she repeated and something that sounded like a laugh escaped her lips, surprised just how easy it was all of a sudden. She searched his eyes for understanding and found so much more than she had hoped for.

"I think that's a pretty good reason," he whispered and took the last step to close the distance between them.

She looked into his dazzling eyes and didn't know why he was so, so, she didn't even know what he was, "Why?" she asked and he chuckled at that.

"Because I want us," he simply stated, "Because I think we've had enough drama and misunderstandings. We both deserve to be happy. And because I love you, but of course you already knew that!" He grinned.

And just like that, they had put it behind them, moved on, had negotiated the obstacle. His hands found her face, framing it, before he pulled her close and placed a gentle, tender kiss on her lips. Her arms reached out and sneaked around his neck, pulling him closer, the kiss becoming more passionate, more heated and before he realized it, she was pushing him further into the apartment. He almost tumbled over the coffee table and had to tighten his grip on her to prevent falling all over it. She chuckled against his lips and he growled in return, taking over control he pushed her against the bookshelf. She let out a surprised squeal, when he reached down and pulled her leg up his thigh to let his hand travel up hers, pulling her dress up in the process. She bit into his shoulder, not knowing where else to take her excitement and he stopped to look at her, his chest panting against hers, their eyes clouded with desire, passion and love, "I love you," he breathed.

"Show me," she whispered back and wrapped her legs around his torso, pressing against his growing arousal.

"God, Kate," he grunted and slammed her against the bookshelf once more. Her back ached, but she didn't care. There was only one thing she could think about and that was him.

"Show me, Rick," she whimpered and he almost lost it. Grabbing her by her perfect six, to steady her, he carried her into his study and towards his bedroom. All the way kissing her, as if his life depended on it. He needed her more than air. It was a cliché, but he didn't care. Right now all he cared about was her.

He lowered her onto his bed and stood just looking down on her, "Are you planning to join me, or will you just stare at me for the rest of the night?" She asked her eyes all teasing.

He growled, but still didn't move, he would take his time, he had waited so long for this and he would admire her as long as he wanted. She was lying there looking back at him, her hair a tangled sea of waves, her chest rising and falling sort of desperately. So alive, so gorgeous, so beautiful and so his. He studied her slightly parted lips, her dark eyes, overflowing with desire. Desire for him. She was breathtaking and he couldn't help but gasp when he realized that it was going to happen. That _they _were going to happen. It was a force of nature. Inevitable.

He felt something at his leg and looked down, seeing her foot that moved up his inner sigh, she wiggled her eyebrows at him and crooked her index finger in a _come-here_ gesture and he just couldn't resist any longer. Bending down, she skidded further up his bed, before his body pressed her into the cushions, his lips founding hers again, his hands tangled in her hair, their tongues fighting for the upper hand. His mouth left her lips and started to kiss down her neck, nibbling at her pulse point, while her fingers ducked into his back, "Touch me," she breathed into his ear and he swallowed. He hadn't thought this through, now had be? This was Beckett, he couldn't just, or could he? But then again that's what making love was about, right? And this was making love, this was not just sex. He wanted to show her how much he loved her. But before his clouded mind could continue its ramble, he felt her hand around his wrist and before he could process what she was doing, she placed his hand over her breast and he stopped dead in his actions staring at her. While her left hand kept his right one in place, close to her heart, so he could feel what he was doing to her, her right one reached up to caress his cheek, "I need you to touch me!" she whispered, sensing his hesitation, when there was no reason. Never in her life had she wanted a man to touch her this badly. She wanted to feel him exploring her body, when he found those hidden spots that touched the right way, drove her crazy. She wanted to know how it felt to have his hands on her bare skin. How it felt when there was nothing left between them. When it was just skin to skin. Heart to heart. Soul to soul.

She left his hand alone, confident that he would take it from there and reached up to unbutton his shirt, sliding her slender fingers into it and letting them dance over his chest. His right hand started to caress her body through her dress and he decided that it was time to get rid of the fabric. She wanted to be touched? Well, he would touch her! Reaching down he pulled it up and she willingly helped him by arching her hips towards him. He pulled it over her head and threw it behind him, not caring what happened to it. If it was ruined he would buy her a new one. She was left with only her black panties and her black bra and he didn't waste any time to get rid of the latter as well.

His hand found her skin, all shyness gone as it travelled over her abdomen and he watched in awe as her muscles tightened, "You're so beautiful," he whispered. His hands wandered further north, feather light dancing over her breast and then he leant down and placed a soft, open mouthed kiss right over her navel and started his ascent. Her hands grabbed his hair, holding onto him as he kissed his way further up. Caressing her breasts and enjoying the reaction he received. A soft whimper from her lips and her body responded in its very own way. He slowed down, letting his finger, lightly run over the scar that marked her for life. He could feel her tense and then lowered his head to place the softest kiss right over it. As if he could kiss away all the pain it caused. Physically and emotionally. His right hand caressed the scar on her left side and then lifted his head to look into her eyes. "You're perfect." Never had she believed more in something. Never had she been so absolutely sure that he actually meant it. She pulled him down and kissed him, trying to put everything into this one kiss. She wanted him to feel the way she felt right now, cherished, loved, full of joy. He pressed her down again and her hands fumbled with the last buttons on his shirt, finally ripping it apart. She didn't care if it was ruined. She would buy him a new one. His shirt landed somewhere near her dress and he took in a sharp breath when her hands reached his belt and started tucking on his jeans.

"You're way too dressed!" she mumbled and he took the hint. Jumping up he hurried out of his trouser and stood there in just his boxers.

"Now we're even," he smirked and moved back to the bed, pinning her down, bare chest to bare chest, skin to skin, only their most intimate sensual body parts were still separated from each other by a touch of silk.

"My turn," she whispered into his ear and with one smooth move, she turned them around, it was her turn to pin him down and he growled in satisfaction, liking her way of taking control. Her lips crushed down on his, before she trailed kisses all over his chest, letting her hands follow her mouth. She like the feel of him. His brought chest, his muscular arms, he had gained some pounds since their summer of separation, but she couldn't care less, to her she he was perfect and just what she needed and wanted. She moved further down his torso, reaching his abdomen she started to tug at his boxers, which earned her a satisfied groan from the man that was melting under her hands. Her hand moved further down and this time, he took in a sharp breath as she barely touched him where he was most sensitive. He knew if he let her continue her mission, he wouldn't last long and he couldn't let this happen, so he took her of guard and pinned her back down under him, despite her protest.

"Trust me," he murmured, before he got rid of her last piece of clothing, his boxers followed, he reached for the drawer of his nightstand and reached inside to find a condom. He had to dig some, since he hadn't needed any in quite some time, he finally found what he was looking for, but before he could put it to use, she had snatched it out of his hand and ripped the plastic open, he wicked grin on her face.

"Allow me to do the honors," she purred and already reached down for him.

He closed his eyes, biting down on his lip, when her fingers rolled the condom merciless slowly down on him. Once done, she cocked one eyebrow at him and then with the softest voice he had ever heard, she whispered, "Make love to me!"

Without any further ado he met her, bodies colliding, souls finding one another, lips tasting skin and them contacted in the most intimate way. She gasped when she felt him slide into her and she could swear the world stopped spinning. He was very still for a couple of seconds, giving her time to adjust and giving himself time to realize, to savor the moment, to store it for the rest of his life. The teeth on his shoulder set him into action and he slowly started to move inside her, her legs coming around him, pulling him closer, deeper. They fitted perfectly together, every curve of her body finding its opposite in his. Her nails ducked into his back, while his hands and lips teased her.

In the dim light of his bedroom, they moaned each others names, got lost in the taste and feel of one another and reached the highest highs.

Later she was snuggled against him, her ear on his chest, taking comfort in his steady heart beat, while he drew circles on her back. Her arm sneaked around him to pull him even closer and she sighed satisfied.

"What?" he chuckled.

"I like the way you feel," she smiled.

"Yeah?" he sounded slightly insecure, "I mean I know I have gained some since the summer."

She raised her head to meet his eyes, "I like it," she said, when she was sure that he was looking at her, "You feel cuddly, safe and," she paused, "And like home." And then she placed a kiss right over his heart.

He pulled her up and placed a kiss on her lips before he whispered, "Welcome home."


	10. Chapter 10

It's time to wrap it up folks. Thank you for reading and reviewing and all the support. I hope you all enjoyed your holidays.

xxxxxxxxxx

A couple of weeks later they found themselves in the woods again, but under different circumstances. It was Christmas time and they were in the desperate need of a tree. So Castle, Kate and Alexis had headed out of the city to fell their first Christmas tree together. Kate and Castle walked hand in hand, following an eager Alexis who walked a couple of yards in front of them inspecting tree after tree to find the perfect one.

It had started to snow the night before and everything was covered in a peaceful blanket of white. Kate looked down at their joined hands and wondered for the millionth time how it all could be so easy. Once the last barrier had fallen in that night a couple of weeks ago they were doing great. She had expected that things would be a bit awkward in the beginning, that they would need time to find their rhythm, tip-toeing around each to adjust to the new situation but it was almost ridiculous how easy it had been. And what she loved the most was that they were still the same. Beckett and Castle. The banter, the teasing, her eye rolls, his theories. It was all still there. They were still pushing each others buttons, he was still annoying the hell out of her and she still knew how to leave him open mouthed. But what had changed was the fact that it all became some sort of foreplay. It was so damn sexy. She grinned at that and he shot her a questioning look.

"What?" he asked and already grinned back, although he didn't know why.

"I was just thinking how sexy you are," she said, giving him one her full-face teasing smiles, that he loved so much.

"You think I'm sexy?" his brows shot up and she could practically see his chest swell in pride and already regretted her words of affection. She would never hear the end of it. She rolled her eyes and pulled away from him, only to found herself pressed against him a second later. She looked a bit surprised, but her eyes told him that it was the good kind of surprise. "Come here, Sexy!" he mumbled before his lips silenced her chuckles. Her arms sneaked around his neck to pull him closer and she would have gotten lost in his arms and in his kiss, had Alexis not interrupted.

"Seriously guys? Could you just keep your hands off each other until we're done here?" she called out, her hands at her hips she looked awfully grim. Like a governess from the 19th century. And certainly not amused.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Castle gave her his most innocent look, "What could your apparently extremely sexy father…"

"Dad!" "Castle!" the two women called out in unison and Kate added a punch to his upper arm. "You're unbelievable," she hissed, before she abandoned him to join Alexis.

"Yeah, unbelievable sexy," he muttered, which earned him another death glare from Kate.

When Kate walked up to Alexis, she gave her an apologetic look, but Alexis just laughed, "Don't worry! You two are quite entertaining." She bumped her shoulder against Kate's and pointed towards the tree that she had chosen to be the Castle tree for this year. "What do you think?"

Kate inspected Alexis object of desire. Walking around the tree she noted that it wasn't the biggest nor the most beautiful one, in fact it was sort of bended and the branches were arranged in an erratic way but she instantly fell in love with that little fella, "I think it's perfect!" she approved when she had finished her round and came to stand next to Alexis. Alexis sneaked an arm around the other woman's waist and turned them around to their dad who had finally walked up to them.

"We want this one!" she proclaimed and nodded her head towards the tree.

Castle looked past his two girls towards the green and white something behind them, "That's not a tree!" he exclaimed and stepped closer, "It's all crippled and …," he bent his head as if that made looking at it any easier, "It's all grinchy!"

"Dad, that's not a word!" Alexis protested.

"Well it should be!" Castle insisted. "That tree is not getting anywhere near our apartment!" He tried to put on a stern face and looked into two matching ones.

"Dad! We want that tree!" Alexis stated with emphasis.

"Yes, Castle! _We _want that tree!" Beckett joined in and placed her arm around Alexis shoulder, both women tightening their grip on each other, ready to stand their ground.

Castle looked from one woman to the other and back and then chuckled, "That's how it's going to be from now on, right? You two teaming up against me?"

Kate and Alexis looked at each other and then shrugged, grinning from ear to ear. Castle shook his head and raised his hands in surrender, "Alright, alright! We'll get this one!"

Alexis stepped at his side and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek, "Thank you, Dad!" He smiled and wrapped his left arm around his daughter.

"Yes, thank you, Castle!" Kate sneaked up to them and placed a kiss on his other cheek.

Castle right arm circled around her and pulled her close as well, "Anything for the women I love!" he proclaimed, before he let them go to pick up the saw. "Okay, let's bring it home!"

Xxxxxxxxx

It was already after midnight, when Castle finally slipped into bed after the most perfect Christmas day ever, where Kate was already waiting for him.

"What took you so long?" she asked when she snuggled closer to him.

"I just had a talk with Alexis," he said and stole a quick kiss from her, before he pulled her even closer, her head coming to rest in the crook of his neck.

"What did she say?" Kate asked, trying not to sound worried.

"Oh just that she's very happy for the both of us," he answered, while he played with her hair.

"She is?"

"She said that you are the first woman that really loves me. Not my money, not my fame. Just me. With all my flaws."

"I do!" she said and pulled back to look him in the eyes, "I really do!"

"I know," he smiled, "And she knows!"

She sighed in relief and placed a soft kiss on his lips, before she snuggled close to him again and started drawing circles on his chest.

"So what's your plan?" she asked.

He frowned, "My plan?"

"For us?" she clarified.

"Oh for us," he smiled. "Well, I do have a plan."

"And?" she poked it chest to get him to continue.

"Where's the fun in telling you?" he laughed, enjoying her curiousness.

"You're not going to tell me, are you?"

"Well, my plan right now is, to make you shut up," he smirked and silenced any reply with a kiss that soon turned into a passionate make out session. He wouldn't tell her about the ring he had in one of the drawers in his desk. Not yet. And he wouldn't tell her that he dreamed of little Castle babies that had her eyes, there was a time for that. But not now. He knew she was on a good way, but she wasn't where she wanted to be and he could wait. He could wait just a bit longer, because he knew she was right with him, waiting for herself to be ready for the next step. He could wait.

"I love you," he heard her whisper, while he made love to her.

"I love you," he whispered back when she lay in his arms.

He could wait. And he had the feeling that he wouldn't have to wait for long.

xxxx

THE END


End file.
